


Humming

by Kaiosea



Category: World Trigger (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Driving, F/F, Getting Together, slow realization of feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:48:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29266767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaiosea/pseuds/Kaiosea
Summary: Kumagai thinks,I only learned Meteor when I started imagining your form, Rei. Maybe that will work this time, too.Nasu helps Kumagai learn to drive.
Relationships: Kumagai Yuuko/Nasu Rei
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 6





	Humming

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PluralForce](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PluralForce/gifts).



> PluralForce, I was so excited to get your pinch hit. I loved multiple of your fandom requests, and it was hard for me to choose which one to write. But in the end, I just had to write Nasu/Kumagai--I love their bond, and seeing their battle with Wen Sou animated after 5 years of waiting was amazing. I hope you like this!

“It’s your first time, Kuma-chan. How do you feel?” Nasu asks, sitting in the passenger seat of the car. 

Sitting in the driver’s seat, Kumagai leans forward, puts her fingertips to her eyebrows and presses into her temples, as if that will smooth out the worry lines on her forehead. 

“I thought I wouldn’t need to learn for a few years. Why did Border push for us to do it now?” 

“They want agents to be able to travel faster during invasions,” Nasu reminds her. “The sooner we can get to our destinations the better, so it benefits Border to have more available drivers.” 

“It’s so much to remember. It’s too much! There’s so many rules, how am I supposed to remember them while I drive?” Kumagai asks. She glances out the window, seeing no one else in the outdoor parking lot next to Border HQ. 

“You passed the written test,” Nasu reminds her again. “You can do this. Remember how you learned Meteor? I have confidence in you. And I’m right here if you need me.” 

Kumagai laughs roughly and thinks, _I only learned Meteor when I started imagining your form, Rei. Maybe that will work this time, too._ Kumagai feels lucky that her captain offered to help her. Because of Nasu’s mobility, Border already allowed Nasu to learn to drive earlier this year, and they requisitioned Nasu her own car to borrow in order to go from her house to HQ and back. The car that they’re currently using also belongs to Border. 

“I so need you, Rei,” Kumagai says. But she goes ahead and turns the keys in the ignition, feeling the car humming to life. 

*

One week later, Kumagai plunks herself down in the driver’s seat for her second driving trip with Nasu. 

“Ready for another lesson?” Nasu says. Her light voice fills the interior of the car, bouncing off the windows and echoing in Kumagai’s ears. 

“You bet,” Kumagai says. She’s always found confidence in blustering her way through unexpected situations. 

At the end of this lesson, Kumagai parks the Border car with some difficulty. Nasu makes her try pulling into the parking space three times until the wheels are straight and she’s perfectly in the middle of the white stripes on the ground. 

“Better than the first time,” Nasu says, her lips curving up. “And better than the way that Suwa-san parks, too.” 

Holding the car keys in her hand, Kumagai can feel herself sweating after the ordeal and wishes that she was in her Trion body. She puts her palm to her forehead and wipes the sweat off. 

Nasu has pulled out her phone and is typing something. “Sorry, the captains’ thread received an update from Border. You go ahead.”

Kumagai steps out of the car. A fleeting summer wind sends her hair into her face, and she tucks it behind her ears. Walking around the front of the car, she reaches the passenger side and opens the door for Nasu. 

“After you,” Kumagai says, feeling a flush rise up her cheeks. 

Nasu puts her phone in her pocket, looks up at Kumagai, and smiles. 

*

“Halfway point,” Nasu says. “Wonderful, Kuma-chan.” 

Kumagai grins and puts the car in park. She’s pulled into a public lot, and it’s time to take a short break before heading back. It’s something like their fourth or fifth lesson now, and Kumagai feels more confident, though she’s still worried about the day when she’ll have to drive without Nasu sitting next to her. 

“I brought us a snack,” Nasu says, leaning forward to pick up her bag. The back of Nasu’s neck catches the late sunlight reflected through the window. Kumagai blinks at the bare, splendid curve of Nasu’s neck, but the shape fades like a mirage as Nasu straightens up, hair covering the back of her neck again. Kumagai blinks and shakes her head as if snapping out of a daze. 

Nasu pulls out two apples from her bag, holding them out in her hands. 

Kumagai grabs one and bites into it. “Thank you!” She says, her mouth full of crisp tartness. 

“They’re both for you,” Nasu says, looking down. 

Kumagai raises her eyebrows. “Rei! You know they’re my favorite. Thank you.” 

Nasu gives her a little nod. She leans down again, exposing the fascinating curve of her neck again, and from her bag, she takes a candy bar. She begins to eat it so neatly that no flecks of wafer or sugar escape the wrapper. 

Suddenly lost for words, Kumagai is grateful to have an excuse not to talk as she eats. 

“Kuma-chan, what are you doing after this?” Nasu asks on the drive back, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears. Her voice is soft. 

Concentrating on the road, Kumagai answers without thinking. “After this, I’m going to play basketball with Kakizaki-san and Utagawa-kun.” 

“Okay,” Nasu says in an unusual voice. 

Kumagai steps on the brake lightly as they near a red light, slowly coming to a stop just as Nasu has instructed her in the past. “What’s that mean?” 

“What are you talking about?” Nasu says. 

Since they’re at a red light, Kumagai glances at Nasu in her peripheral vision. Nasu is staring resolutely forward. 

“Why did you say ‘okay’ like that?” 

“I said it normally.” 

The light turns green. Kumagai steps on the gas. “Okay then.” 

The rest of the drive back to the Border parking lot is quiet. 

After she parks, Kumagai walks around to the passenger’s side to open Nasu’s door for her. However, Nasu has already cracked the door open and is drawing herself up. Kumagai takes a step back, ready to support Nasu if she wants it. 

Nasu stands up slowly and walks the few steps to her own Border-issued car. “Have fun at basketball,” is all she says. 

Kumagai says, “I will.” The words cut more sharply than she intends as they fall out her mouth. 

“Fine.” 

“Fine!” 

Nasu slams the door of her car and turns the engine on. Kumagai watches Nasu responsibly check her mirrors before driving away. 

Fuming and feeling guilty for no reason, Kumagai calls Kakizaki to let him and the other guys know she’s on her way to their game. 

*

This is their first time meeting together in over a month. Between exams and defense duty, Kumagai hasn’t seen Nasu alone since their last awkward lesson. 

Traffic is bad as soon as they get onto the main road. Kumagai can feel her nerves skyrocketing, and it feels like every driver is out to get her. 

“Kuma-chan!” Nasu says suddenly. “Pull over.” 

Pulling over to the side of the road safely, Kumagai uses the chance to take a deep breath. She closes her eyes and imagines Nasu driving with her normal calm demeanor; having been a passenger in Nasu’s car quite a few times, it’s easy for Kumagai to visualize: Nasu’s calm, yet upright posture, her fixed gaze on the road, her flexibility to uncertain situations. Kumagai visualizes Nasu’s body in the driver’s seat instead of her own. 

Nasu, the one here right now, doesn’t say anything, but she doesn’t need to--her presence is enough to inspire Kumagai. 

The pause helps. Nasu praises Kumagai for keeping her cool, which feels familiar to Kumagai. 

When Kumagai steps out of the car at the end of the lesson, she walks around and opens Nasu’s door for her. When Nasu smiles up at her, that feels familiar, too. 

*

Kumagai wakes up early in the morning to make it on time to their last lesson together before the test. She greets Nasu at the car with a yawn, stretching her limbs to the sky before cramping them into the driver’s seat. 

At the end of the lesson, Kumagai pulls into the familiar outdoor lot, wheels coming in straight, perfectly within the lines of the parking space on her first try. 

“Kuma-chan, congratulations,” Nasu says. “You’ve found your own style of driving.” 

“It’s all thanks to you, I’m ready for the test,” Kumagai says, then she adds, “I think.” 

Nasu’s smile fills her with warmth. “Naturally, you are ready. You can do anything.” 

“I couldn’t have done it without you.” 

Nasu nods. She opens her mouth, then she closes it again. 

“I’ll miss this,” Kumagai says, boldly. “I… liked spending time with you, Rei.” She looks down and shifts the car into park, but she doesn’t take the keys out of the ignition. Her hand freezes on the gear selector. She doesn’t want this to be over just yet. 

“I enjoyed it too,” Nasu says. 

In Kumagai’s peripheral vision, she sees Nasu leaning towards her, like she’s about to place her head on Kumagai’s shoulder and close her eyes for a nap. 

That’s not what happens. 

“Kuma-chan,” Nasu says again, and she carefully places her hand over Kumagai’s, layered on top of the gear selector. Kumagai watches Nasu bite her lip, like she’s waiting to see how Kumagai responds. 

The car vibrates, stopped but not stilled. Kumagai can’t move to turn off the engine. She doesn’t dare break this moment. 

“Rei,” Kumagai says, excitement leaping into her throat. She blinks and leans forward too, looking into Nasu’s eyes and seeing kind assurance. 

Their lips close the distance. With her eyes shut, Kumagai imagines Trion flowing from her mouth to Nasu’s, and from Nasu’s mouth back to her own. 

The car hums.


End file.
